


Just a Moment

by 2babyturtles



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Broken Sherlock Holmes, Feelings, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Inspired by Real Events, Pain, Sad, Self-Hatred, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-29 00:31:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13915548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2babyturtles/pseuds/2babyturtles





	Just a Moment

Sherlock closes the bathroom door behind him and 221B could be miles away. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath and pauses for just a moment.

The water takes time to heat up and he strips off his clothes piece-by-piece as he waits. Steam fills the room and he takes another breath, filling his lungs with moisture and warmth. It feels wrong, like the sun shining on a funeral parade. He opens the shower curtain and another wave of steam escapes as he steps inside the tub. The water is hot and cleansing, stripping the feeling from his skin as it soothes his frozen limbs. He stands perfectly still for just a moment.

As rivulets of water tumble through his hair, spilling across his face, and swirling down his skin, he feels like a thing. He is a statue of a man with a broken heart. He is an object and objects don’t have feelings. For just a moment, he doesn’t have to have feelings.

He scrubs his skin too roughly and then more gently as he realizes what he’s done. He doesn’t bother with shampoo; he’s not really here for a wash. His skin is tight and red and the middle of his chest shakes. He closes his eyes and breathes and remembers that he’s human, for just one more moment.

When he shuts off the water and steps out onto the damp tile floor, a swirl of steam brings tickles to his skin. He is a thing. He is a pine as the wind whistles past him and he is a cloud that is pushed across the sky. Then he breathes and grabs his towel. It’s soft against his skin and he is a man with a broken heart.

John knocks softly on the door and calls Sherlock’s name, looking for the man inside the statue. Forcing his eyes to find the door and remembering suddenly that 221B is not miles away, it’s just on the other side, he breathes as steadily as he can manage and opens his mouth to call back: “Please, John, just a moment.”


End file.
